thunderfunk

I posted this in the pit as well but I wanted to share here...this is the best piece of gear I've run into in a while.

I have been looking for a portable replacement for my alembic f2-b / mesa boogie M-180 for a couple of years. It was 200 tube watts that I used through a 2-15 EV cabinet and it covered any room I worked (probably 1,000+ gigs over 15 years). I haven't found the right combination of tone, size, features and price until now. I have had a Thunderfunk BFT420 bass head for about 10 days and this thing is the real deal. It is a resurrection of the A.M.P. BH420 / Gibson GB440 design.

It has no fan and is very quiet. I like the tone. I had tried an EA Iamp 350 and a SWR Super redhead over the past couple years but I couldn't get the fast, clear, punchy sound I want. I had given up and bought a QSC PLX 3002 to match with the alembic, put it in a rack case, and had an amp head that was way bigger than I wanted. I read about the Thunderfunk and decided to give it a try. $595 plus $20 shipping, 7 day trial period, 2 year warranty...nothing to lose. More info at www.thunderfunk.com. After hearing the Thunderfunk I am putting the QSC up for sale in the for sale forum (maybe 5 hours playing time on it).

In all honesty when I go back and forth from the Thunderfunk to the F2-B the alembic sounds a bit crisper on the low end but nothing that is noticeable in any real situation. I have an Alembic series 1, a roscoe beck 5 string, a turner renaissance 5 string, and a frankenfender fretless. Whatever I plug into this amp just sounds great.

I'm using it through a bergantino HT112 cab and I will eventually add a second cab. Great rig, super portable, fantastic price.

400 watts is probably not enough to adequately power a 4 x 10" in a band situation with two guitars and a drummer. Would you agree? Everyting I have read about the Thunderfunk is positive, but my GK 700RB is 380 watts and it doesn't have enough of something (watts, current, damping factor?) to give me the punch I want in my band. So I'm figuring 400 watts isn't that big of a step up (darn it!)

I'm no expert but if 2 amps are rated within 20 watts of each other, and both ratings are honest, I don't think you could hear any difference.

Like I said above though, I played for a lot of years and with some LOUD drummers and 200 tube watts covered the gigs fine. I don't eq with a huge low end. I feel like the room always adds some boom. I think cabinet efficiency and EQ preferences go a long ways towards reducing power requirements. I played with one or 2 EV b215-m cabinets and was able to keep up in any situation.

Originally posted by Woodboy 400 watts is probably not enough to adequately power a 4 x 10" in a band situation with two guitars and a drummer. Would you agree? Everyting I have read about the Thunderfunk is positive, but my GK 700RB is 380 watts and it doesn't have enough of something (watts, current, damping factor?) to give me the punch I want in my band. So I'm figuring 400 watts isn't that big of a step up (darn it!)

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Is your 4x10" cab a 8 or 4 ohm? If it's 8 ohms your 700RB is only pushing 225 watts. A buddy of mine is using the ThunderFunk with a 4 ohm Avatar 4x10" cab and is getting the full 400 watts from his amp and his rig ROCKS!!

My 410 is 4 ohms, so I am getting the 380 watts of the 700RB. My cabinet, the Ampeg BXT-410, is rated at 700 watts continuous. I can get the 700RB loud enough, but it doesn't support the low E string. It starts to fart on this string before the others. No wonder, 'cause I am asking it to pump out 41 Hz CLEANLY and that takes a lot of juice to move those speakers. Tone is King in my book and I want a clean, deep sound. If the 700RB could handle the E string, I could probably live with it.

Woodboy-Sell that 4x10, and get a 8 ohm 4x10 and a 8 ohm 1x15. When two speakers are within a foot or so of each other, you get a 6 DB gain. Also, if it is within a foot of a wall, you get a few more DB. My ampeg cab is a 4x10/1x15. When it's fullrange, the impedance is 8 ohms. When you plug into either the 4x10 or the 1x15,the impedance is 4 ohms. I plugged into just one section, so that section was getting 450W. It was just as loud as the full range, which gets 275W. Just a little something to think about. Also, some ampeg cabs are pretty inefficent.

I wrote the below privately, but it was suggested I post it here. Always one to follow good advise, here it is:

"I am NOT the manufacturer - the TFB420's are hand made by Dave Funk in IL. I am working with Dave and from NC to get these into dealers, that is why the link. You will find my personal details at the TF web site.

"The stupid posting about the doubling of power was from the manual - which was NOT written by Dave, and unfortunately also not caught in the edit phase - we will be re-writing that - it was simply bad information that I carelessly passed along without checking.

"Having just "joined" Talk Bass, I got off to a limpy start, huh? Hopefully the TB crowd will forgive me at least this one oversight."

Are the Thunderfunk heads basically the AMP420 design? If not, how do they differ?

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They are basically a Gibson GB440 which was the next geneartion of the AMP420, both designed by Russ Allee. Dave Funk has made minor mods to improve the high and low end to give it a more modern tone. Also the power amp is more efficient.

Where can I possibly get one? I am on the market for a new amp. I had my mind set on Eden, but this amp is pretty inexpensive, and looks like it is pretty awesome, judging by reviews. The warrantee and trial period look pretty nice as well. I checked the sites of the two dealers that were on the ThunderFunk site, but one just sold Epifani gear, and I didn't see anything about ThunderFunk on the other site either.